Vancouver Canucks’ Nikolay Goldobin (77), Nic Dowd, from second left, Jussi Jokinen, Jussi Jokinen and Troy Stecher, right, celebrate a goal by Dowd in the second period of an NHL hockey game in Dallas, Sunday, March 25, 2018. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Canucks rally for solid 4-1 road win over Stars

Nic Dowd’s second-period goal stood up as the winner, as the Vancouver Canucks earned a 4-1 win over the host Dallas Stars in NHL action Sunday at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

Reid Boucher, Jake Virtanen and Tyler Motte also scored for the Canucks (27-40-9). Mattias Janmark had the lone goal for Dallas (38-30-8). The loss put a huge crimp into the playoff hopes for the Stars, who remain five points out of the final wildcard spot in the league’s Western Conference.

Jacob Markstrom was sharp in picking up the goaltending win for Vancouver, making 30 saves. Kari Lehtonen made 23 saves and took the loss.

The Stars opened the scoring at 16:54 of the first period, when Janmark scored his 19th of the season, on a shorthanded breakaway, with Stephen Johns off for tripping Jussi Jokinen.

Vancouver equalized on the same power play just 30 seconds later, when Boucher – with his third of the year – redirected a Jokinen pass behind Lehtonen to make it 1-1. All three of Boucher’s goals this year have come against the Stars.

The only goal of the second period came on another Vancouver power play at 14:43, when Dowd knocked home a loose puck after Troy Stecher fired a shot from the point. It was the third goal of the year for Dowd.

Vancouver upped their lead to 3-1 with a soft goal from Virtanen. After a dump-in, Virtanen got the puck along the right boards and lifted a weak shot on goal that somehow found its way past Lehtonen. It was the young Vancouver forward’s ninth tally of the year.